How to Cook · Sauces

Béchamel

Name: Béchamel
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter; 3 tablespoons flour; 2 cups milk, warmed; Salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg

Published July 8, 2026

Sauces

One of the classic French mother sauces: milk whisked into a cooked butter-and-flour roux until smooth and thickened, seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg. It's the foundation of a whole family of dishes — cheese sauce, mac and cheese, lasagna — and the starting point for learning how a roux gives a sauce its body.

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 10 min
Total: 15 min
Yield: ~2 cups
Category: Sauce
Cuisine: French

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Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk, warmed
Salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg

Directions

Make the roux

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1–2 minutes, until the raw flour smell cooks off — this is your roux.

Add the milk

Slowly whisk in the warm milk, a little at a time at first, whisking out any lumps before adding more. Continue cooking, whisking often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5–7 minutes, then season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.